Sovereign Automotive and Financial LLC
Queja 354436 Detalles

I was very naïve prior to getting this car. I hadn't read everything on internet about this car dealership or how to detect auto dealer fraud from any of the available articles. Their "alleged" faith prohibits misrepresentation of items for sale. The car NEVER had a $5600KBB or $3000KBB (what I paid for it) despite what they claimed. They deliberately didn't put up a Carfax or vin no. with the online ad because they intended to dupe someone. I forgot to ask for one but they probably would have "doctored" that too. Their faith factored a great deal in my agreeing to purchase a car from them over somebody else. I didn't think they would lie or pull a fraud due to it violating their faith's law. Doing so would definitely be against their religion and my own faith since one of my parents had the same faith as they did. I told them that it was a factor in why I was buying from them. Sovereign posted the online ad NOT Leo. I had to go through Sovereign to even inquire about the car. Photos of the car were taken on their sales lot. They knew it was fraud from the time they posted the online ad to after-the-purchase. Both Sovereign owner's Uri G. and their ex-mech/seller Leo Shalom spoke in Hebrew so I wouldn't understand what they were saying. BOTH knew it was a fraud and dangerous to drive. That's why they spoke in a language I didn't know. Uri knew that Leo was lying all the time but still didn't tell me the truth about the car's condition. I bought it solely based on what was told to me from the online ad, text messages, and in person which was just one lie after another (I didn't know that). I never agreed to buy a car with major engine problems they were claiming was "just a sensor." NC doesn't register cars with the "check engine light" on. It's why I requested a refund within one hour of purchase. I had NO idea of the car's true mechanical condition based on the misrepresentation they made to me the entire time I dealt with any of them related to this car dealership. I was told over and over by Leo they were honest when they weren't remotely honest. In fact their Ft. Lauderdale location had its license suspended in July 2016. The car dealership's reviews had said they were putting up "doctored" photos of wrecks and misrepresenting their condition. I didn't see that or I never would have gone down to get it. That was 100% true. I didn't have a Buyer's Guide or Carfax to compare info with which they were lying about. I didn't know about the former and forgot about the latter. I was pressured, pressured, pressured to buy the car "because Leo needed the money." If he and their on-site mech hadn't told me it had no major engine, transmission, electrical and frame damage problems how was I supposed to know it did? I was told to "trust" them. I found out later from an impartial NC Cert Mech how bad the condition it was in. The vin no. on Bill of Sale wasn't even correct on purpose so I wouldn't check the Carfax.

I am in dire straits because of their deceit. That was the ONLY car I could afford and it was every cent I saved for years to buy one with. I literally can't get out of the house to go grocery shopping, to any store, meet people anywhere at any social club, go to church, go to doctor's appointments, go to pharmacy, go to school or work. It has made me a virtual prisoner in this house like I am in jail due to their lies. I can't believe anybody claiming to be so "devout" would be so very crooked and deceitful. I wanted to go back to school.

I NEVER agreed to buy a car with a head gasket problem I didn't know about which they said was "just a sensor and needs to be reset at Auto Zone" (possibly needs a new engine altogether), needed new battery, leaking important hoses I knew nothing about, being dangerous to drive. It shouldn't have been driven locally let alone long distance. The check engine light was on the entire time while overheating which was on prior to me buying it so. These mech probs are why all of them failed to do a proper Title Transfer from original seller/mech to their names so they could blame him (a private seller) for the problems they knew about prior to posting the ad.

Sovereign (NOT Leo) posted the online ad on www.cargurus.com for a 2004 PT Cruiser GT Turbo with 77,000 miles allegedly $5600KBB for $3000. At the time the online ad was posted they violated FL Statute 501.2077 because they knew it wasn't as described in their online ad. I was disabled, over 60, and military vet. I never would have seen or known about this car if Sovereign hadn't advertised it online. It was physically on their sales lot and these were Sovereign's mechs lying about its condition. I contacted Sovereign and they had me talk to their ex-mech Leo. I never went to Leo's or anybody else's house only Sovereign car sales lot. I didn't know all the car buying rules but I knew that the car dealer had surety bond insurance against frauds like this or other violations of Florida law. I didn't find out until much later about the FTC laws. I received text messages I could buy from either the car dealer or Leo. Obviously, both knew it was in very poor mech cond when posting their online ad. This is why they only paid $500 from the original seller/mech BECAUSE of those mech probs.

Sovereign physically had it on their sales lot with a yellow $500/down painted on windshield. Any walk-in could have seen and/or bought the car off their sales lot besides their online ad. Sovereign showed "doctored" photos and description online making it look like a great value. I was sent text messages that it "runs great," Leo has Title in hand and bring cash to pay for it, if I bought through car dealer would be $500 more. Many things were said to me in text messages about car's cond prior to coming there and after purchase that simply weren't true. In reality the car was in very poor condition and not remotely as described when it was listed (violating 501.2077 because I am ex-military, over 60, and disabled and the car WASN'T as described in their online ad--they left out quite a few things). At the time it was listed it needed a 3d head gasket repair and/or engine replaced, it was a Manufacturer's lemon, was dangerous to drive from unrepaired damages it got from a car crash never disclosed to me (possibly more than one), had leaking coolant hoses and adapter making it overheat even more than it already was adding to the head gasket problem even more, badly leaking power steering hoses which along with loose right tierod (from 2013 crash) made it very hard to steer (I could have been killed or killed somebody else on the road due to that reason), old windshield wipers which flew off in a rainstorm (making it difficult to see--another dangerous item that could have caused me to crash since it happened on a major highway nowhere near a turn-off), damaged upper and lower motor mount (from undisclosed 2013 crash), squashed oil chamber with oil dipstick unable to be pulled out to check the oil (from undisclosed 2013 crash) which I didn't find out until after the sale--necessary to check the oil with a head gasket problem, and many more actual miles than odometer showed. I wasn't allowed to look under the hood. None of this was put in an FTC-mandated Buyer's Guide in the car's window by Sovereign which was supposed to be there while on car dealer's lot. Both car dealer Sovereign (Uri G.) and their ex-mech Leo Shalom were selling the same car at same car dealership location in Hollywood, FL whether or not they actually put the vin no. in their inventory. I had somebody on the phone with me during the entire transaction. I never went to anybody's private home to buy it nor was it listed as a "private sale." I had to go through Sovereign for everything. They can say it was a private sale but they were the ones who made up another lie on why not to pay them instead they had me payLeo Shalom, their ex-mech. They are despicable. Since they were also selling it and hadn't done a title transfer they violated FL Statute 319.22 and wrote up Bill of Sale in front of me 319.33. Everything was done on the car dealer's lot and in their office.

The Sovereign mechs had bought it for $500 from another seller/mech who was selling it on Craigslist because it was a manufacturer's lemon. He was tired of repairing it. At the time original by seller/mech sold it was dangerous to drive from unrepaired 2013 crash damage and had major engine problems. The two Sovereign mechanics knew its poor mech condition when they bought it from original seller/mech. Neither seller/mech Leo nor Sovereign ever did a proper title transfer from original seller/mech to theirs (violating FL Statute 319.22), and they forged the original mech's name on the Bill of Sale in their office (Fl Statute 319.33). I went all the way from NC to FL to look at the car because it seemed like it was a great buy. I was comparing it with one locally. I never would have spent all this money buying it if I knew it's true condition. I only had a short window of time to buy it and drive back home. I never thought they'd bring me all the way down for a major fraud. I only had one-way airplane flight not return. I was pressured for hrs in Sovereign's office constantly being lied to buy it. I had never suspected it was a fraud and had others see the online ad too. They also never suspected it was a fraud. I only came down to buy the car based on what they said. They wouldn't let me take it to an outside mech. I didn't know that there was 225,000 mile difference between title and odometer reading until after I paid. I never saw the Title prior to paying. It differed with advertised mileage they'd claimed in their online ad (violated FL Statute 501.2077. I saw the check engine light being on and said it had engine problems in a text. I demanded a refund within one hr from mech/seller while at FL DMV for multiple reasons, that being one. I was lied to yet again by Leo about it being a sensor when they knew it needed a head gasket repair. I said odometer didn't match title miles, "check engine light" on meant engine probs, and the title wasn't in either Leo or Sovereign's name.

I never bought it from the original Seller they had claimed I did. I had no way to contact Sovereign ex-mech outside of mobile phone since he never did title transfer and car dealer refused to listen. Leo deliberately didn't bring me to his home address because I would have been able to to sue him at that. Car dealer heard his ex-mech and then-mech lying about the car. He was in office while being pressured to buy the car but still didn't tell me it had major mech problems. He didn't care if I got killed on highway or killed somebody else because I couldn't control steering well. I had to buy "as is" which was based all on lies by all of them at this dealership. Their on-site mech also lied about the condition of the car saying it had no engine, electrical, transmission or frame damage knowing full well it did. Conversation heard by Jean who was on phone with me during transaction. Leo claimed Sovereign mech was also his mech. I wanted an outside mech to see it but they refused to let me take it to him. Two Sovereign mechs had purchased the car in the first place. They never repaired it prior to putting on dealer's lot. The car was NOT the KBB Sovereign indicated in their online ad and it was way overpriced for the mech condition it was in. It needed more than $5000 in mech repairs alone at the time they were selling it on their lot and online. It should never have been put up for sale to anybody w/o being repaired and never driven long distance. I expected this car to last for years not a month. I DID demand a refund within 1 hr while at FL DMV because of the engine problems it had but got lied to again and refused. The mechanical problems were also documented by a SC Sheriff because the car overheated constantly and I had to keep stopping. He was at this one place I had stopped at. I had to keep adding oil but found out I couldn't check it because of dipstick problem I didn't know about prior to sale. The dealer mech Leo had made me hurry up, wouldn't give me a longer length of time to drive it so "check engine light" would be on after being overheated, he kept pestering me to buy the car. He didn't even want me to drive it prior to paying. I didn't know it was ever in a crash, a corp car to drive, its true cond etc. all of which were on Carfax NOT posted with online ad. Even a NC Car Dealer was fooled by their online ad. I was comparing with NC car that had more miles and wasn't a GT turbo (faster sportier version). Car dealer put wrong vin no. on Bill of Sale so I couldn't check the Carfax and car wouldn't be found in their inventory if reported to DMV fraud dept.

I was stuck having to drive it home because it was all the money I had after paying Leo per Uri's wishes and they wouldn't refund my money an hr later. The car dealer said to buy it from mech Leo because "I wouldn't make it back down there in a month." He is such a crook he would say it was a private sale and not be held responsible. The so-called private sale was supposedly between the orig mech/seller and me but I never met person whose name on Title. He never signed the Bill of Sale to sell me this car. He didn't know it was up for sale on their lot without being repaired.This was all the money I had to buy a car to last me for years. In NC you HAVE to drive because there is no public transportation. It is a very serious matter for me because I can't go to school, work, grocery store, pharmacy, social gatherings, church or meet friends. I have no way to get there. My current ride is dying. The car is sitting totally undriveable in my driveway. A NC Cert Mech said it wasn't worth repairing.

On top of that another NC mech/soldier I met within a couple days of buying it raped me the same day I met him at car garage about what was wrong with the car. I never would have met him if not recommended by Advance Auto to repair this car because it didn't pass the codes they ran on it. The FL Sovereign mech claimed he ran the codes on the car and it passed.The soldier/mech stole the car repair money and never repaired the car. He tried to get the "check engine light" off because you can't register it with it on. I had a car with a sensor problem but this one didn't have that. It had major engine damage. I was so traumatized for 1.5 yrs while waiting for court martial I couldn't deal with this car. I cry day and night about it. I had to go through a court martial I normally wouldn't have had to go through because I never would have met him. He also stole from me and defrauded me of bank acct money. I was so traumatized I had a complete nervous breakdown from all the stress and cruelty starting with the car dealer and his mech. I filed a claim with their surety bond claims ins adjuster SureTek.The car dealer's surety bond ins claims adjuster denied claim and did bad faith fraud by illegally changing Carfax to protect their insured. They removed the 2013 wreck the car had been in (there is still a police report I have and I have the original Carfax). The orig Carfax was true and the damage that showed up on NC Cert Mech Eval was in same place indicated on police report, she changed the odometer reading to say 79,717 (a 225,000 mile difference from the actual miles of 294,490 mile on title). When DMV fraud dept. went to dealer's lot to find out about car there was no such vin no. as on Bill of Sale in their inventory (they probably completely removed it so they could lie about it being in that cond and say it was a private sale.) I was NEVER told it was a private sale and never off the car dealer's lot/office.